FLIGHT RULES EXRLAINED

Chronicle (Levin), 7 December 1948, Page 5

FLIGHT RULES EXRLAINED

Prtess Assodation )'

^pp — Inquiry Into Kaka s Crash Continues ' .

(Per

WELLINGTOK, Uec. 7. As' far as could foe' ascertaihed, C'ommander Har'e, Who" was . in charge of the aircraft Kakahi ZKAGK, . which cr'ashed o'h Mdimt Ruapehu! on October S3, had ilp' touhe time of the cfash beeri'obsefV-' ng the c'onditions iaid down by th'e Air Department for" a ilight Uhdof nstrument flight rules,- said LewiS ?Frances Paul Taylof, controller. of air traffic for the whole of NeW Zealand, when the inquiry into the disaster was resumed today. Taylor, who was the first witness,' said that Air .Traffic Control, which functioned through area control from the- control centres and aerodrom'e control on the individual aerodromes, laid down the routes throughout the couritry. These air lanes were t.en miles wide and excended "frOm a minimum instrum^nt altitude to 12,(100 feet in all : caSes. The minimum> instrument altitude was 1000 feet abo've the highest obstacle within ten miles of the centre line of the route.. These routes were reserved for aircraft flying under instrument flight rules. The levels Of the flight were laid down.depending on the direction in which the aircraft was flying. The.'pilot could choose any of the permissibie levels for the direction in which he was flying. When filing a flight plan the pilot indieated the altitude at which he intended to fly, taking into consideration the latest Weather information. Of the information detailed on the pilot'-s flight plan, only that necessary in reiation to other aircraft on the route was transmitted to the cohtrol

centre which was particularly concerned with the altitude and times | of arrival over certain points. If the aircraft, at pre-determined reporting points, was behind Of ahead of time, the control centre would make its own eheck using the wind advised by the Meteorological office. To Mr- D- W. Virtue, for National Airways Corporation, witness said that the minimum altitude from Palmerston North to the Wanganui homer was.4500 feet for the northward flight and from the Wanganui homer to Hamilton 6000 feet. Observed The Rules After leaving the Wanganui homer, continued witness, the first reporting point was that known as New Plymouth East, Which a pilot ascertamed by taking a radio compass bearing on the New Plymotith homer on his port side. It appeared that the plane had not reat'hed that position before the crash, nor was it due there until some little time later. Therefore, apart frorri an emergency fep'ort, there was no need for- Corrimander Hare to have reported again between the Wanganui homer, where he did report, and the time of the crash. Commander Hare appeared to have been observing instrument flight rules and the conditions laid down by the department-. -Witness said that the flight plans were instituted on June 1. Previously aircraft were not permitted to fly under instrument flight rules. Aircraft - were cleared only for vlsual flights. To Mr. Virtue, witness said that another form of flight plan was noV being prepared, but it would contain substantially the same information as that at present in use. To Mr. W. H. Cunningham, Nfor the Air Department, Taylor said' that a pilot could, after taking off, request another flight plan and Air Trafftc Control would kpprove subject to other traffic. In an emergency the pilot could take any direction he thought necessary for safety, even without prior permission. On the Kaka's flight on October 23 other permissibie height-s than the 6000 feet laid down in the flight plan would have been 8000, 10,000 or 12,000 feet, added #Taylor. To Captain K. A. Brownjohn, a member of the board, witness said that the only means of knowing ah aircraft was at New Plymouth East was on the pilot's information. The only check was. by - the expected time of arrival there. It might be possible to devise other checks, but he would not like to suggest What they should be. Flew Near .Thunderstorm Ian ' Stratford Kerr, weather forecaster at Paraparaumu, said that he prepared two forecasts between 11 and 11.15 a.m. on October 23. They were hanging on^the wall with the name of the route on them. He saw Commander Har-e take them. Witness did not disduss the foreeast with Cofnmander Hare, but the latter said that he had flown near to a violent thunderstorm on the way south. Commander Hare was hot in the office for mbre thaii a rhinute, and there was nothirig in the natufe of a "briefing" of Commander Hare ih that minute. Witness got the impression that Commander Hare was jn a hurry. At* Paraparaumu it waS raining fairly steadily before noon, continued witness. It was usual for pilots to get a "briefing" from the forecaster on the weather on tli'eir routes, and the.in,terest was greater when the weather was unpleasant. There was a weather map in the office, but Commander Hare did not go to it. .All he gof was the two writteri forecasts filtis a few 9 a.m. and later reports. To 'Mr. Virtpe, Kerr said that Commander" Hare would have had the 'oppoftunity of sizing up the weather on the southbound trip ahd the sfirfiifikfisea fepfift he Mceived would have given information similar to Commander Hare's

own observations. Commander Hare told witness that a thunderstorm was in the Waikato, continued Kerr. The Storm was hot news as witness expected thundery conditions, but Commander Hare's was the first report of the actiial thunderstorm. Witness had already shown to his satisfaction that thunderstorms were confined to a line ciear of the route, and he was satisfied Commander Hare would not meet thunderstorrns on the trip north. Witness did not think there was other Weather information he could have given Commander Hare, but said that a pilot coming into the area for the first time that day would probably have asked for more. It Was quite normal for Commander Hare to discuss briefly the weather he had met on th^way dbwn. To' Captain Brownjohn, witness said that the foreeast 'was for a cold fr'oflt proeeeding across the North Island, dnd he estimated that at the tifhe of Commander Kare's defiarture it would be well past Rtiapehtf. . North-westerly winds behind the front were due to a secon'dary cold front. Captain Brownjohn said that morning reports gave nofth-nofth- , west to northerly winds at 52 m.pi.h., but pne report in the Waiouru-fie Kuiti area gave a nofth-northeast w'ind at 44 m.p.h. Kerr" said that this. indieated the approach of the cold front in that area, where there could also be local topographical jwinds.